This section contains pages 514 through 546

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THE CLIFF WALL STORY

I came into the world during a blizzard on the first of December 1926. Saskatchewan blizzards have to be experienced to be appreciated and so it was that my fathers too long delayed trip to fetch the doctor resulted in my being delivered by my two older sisters, Edna and Naomi.

The home where I was born was built from sod and wood, dug half way into a hillside to protect the occupants from the heat in summer and the cold winter winds. Coyotes howling at night would send shivers through your skin.

My earliest recollections are of my first major accident at the homestead. I was sliding down a hill on my sleigh in the snow and headed straight into a partially buried buggy. I slammed into a steel step splitting my upper lip through to my teeth. My mother taped or bound my mouth as best she could. We were miles from any medical attention. To this date I still carry this scar.

The drought had continued in the Macrorie area, so several of the local farmers went to the Peace River in northern Alberta to explore the possibility of migrating once again. On their return my dad listened to their reports and decided to move.

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Edna had met a man from Hendon, Saskatchewan who had recently lost his wife. He needed someone to keep house or someone to rent his farm. Edna told him that her parents wanted to move away from their present location and that maybe they would consent to take over his farm. Father and Mother met with Mr. Krutz and agreed to rent his property for one year. They then sold their homestead for the offer they had received and moved to Hendon.

Our dad still longed to move to the North Country where homesteads were also becoming available for families to settle. You could get 160 acres (1/4 section) of land for a filing fee of $10.00. The homestead would have to be improved and a family living on it for a period of five years, then the government Would give the homesteader clear title to the property

Father went to Nipawin, which was the most northern town in Saskatchewan to check it out. He heard of a family who lived in a community called Cherry Ridge in the White Fox area, who wanted to move to town where they could send their children to school. Dad made a deal with them to rent their farm. The Whites bought a place by the Nipawin Bridge, which was about a mile from town.

Dad came home and we began packing for the trip. Everything was loaded into a freight train boxcar, the farm animals, machinery, and all household goods. Mother prepared a lot of food for the trip. My Dad and I rode in the boxcar. The rest of the family rode in the passenger car at the rear of the train.

On our arrival at Nipawin, we stayed at my mother's cousin's place the Penners. My dad unloaded all of the animals and everything we had shipped and set up housekeeping at our new place, which was about twelve miles from town.

While staying at the Penners I was fascinated by their gramophone. It was an Edison player with round records that would slide on a roller and had a long horn type speaker. It took about a week and then we went to our new home. Whites Place, as this farm was called, had a large two-story house on a hill over looking the White Fox River.

After we were settled, my parents wrote to our friends the John Peters family who still lived near our old home at Macrorie and suggested that they move as soon as possible to this new frontier. The Peters family soon arrived and rented a farm about five miles to the north.

There was no school near enough to attend. Some lessons were done by correspondence course. My first regular chore was to carry a gallon of milk to our British neighbor, Mrs. Bradshaw who would reward me with a cookie.

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During the winter Warren and me would build Eskimo style igloos out of snow. These igloos were great to play in and we put animal skins on the floor and entrance. We had candles too for light and heat. These igloos would last until spring thaw.

During that summer my sister Naomi met a young Adventist book salesman by the name of Desmond Tinkler. She fell in love with this dude. He drove a neat Model A Ford Roadster and was flying high. I didn't like this guy as he was always teasing me so I named him Dizzy Tinkler, which didn't help the relationship.

One night Warren wanted to know and see what Dizzy and Naomi did on their evening dates. One evening before they both took off in the roadster. Warren hid in the back seat and I covered him up with a blanket that seemed to be always in the car. It was a beautiful moonlit night and away they went.

About four miles down the road and into a secluded area, the roadster came to a halt. Afraid to move. Warren lay motionless in the back, soon he felt a hand reaching for the blanket partly stuck beneath him, another hand came over, grabbed him by the neck, pulled him out of his hiding place and with one swift kick sent Warren on his way back home. The roadster sped off into the night. Warren never knew the rest of the story.

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One of my most vivid memories is of a morning in early spring when our family awoke to loud cracking sounds. Joe ran outside and looked over the bank to the frozen river. The ice is breaking up he called, and ran down the bank. I ran after him.

To see a frozen river break up in the spring is an exciting and alarming sight. The warm weather melting the ice and snow, creates great water pressure underneath, forcing upwards huge blocks of ice with cracking and grinding sounds that can be heard for miles around. The river current throwing them about creates fearful sounds like gun and cannon shots.

In order to get a better view, Joe crossed over a flooded creek on a log that had fallen from one bank to the other. I followed. Halfway across the log, I slipped and fell into the icy water and was swept out into the raging river. I remember trying to grab something to save myself from drowning.

Joe turned to look for me, but the only thing he saw was my Muskrat cap floating in the river. He ran downstream and jumped in. Fighting his way through the ice flow, he grabbed me and hauled me in. Safely on shore and half frozen he looked at me, smiled and said Kid, you look like a frozen rat, lets go home.

Dad filed for a homestead 6 1/2 miles north west of the hamlet of Love. I went along with him in the wagon to locate a home site. The trees and bush were so thick he could not turn the team of horses and wagon around, so he got a long pole and pried the wagon over so we could get out the same way we came in.

A few weeks later a group of settlers arranged a construction bee. They cut down spruce trees all around the home site and together built a log house and a barn for the livestock. Our house was two story with the top section built out of lumber. Tarpaper covered the exterior top half to keep the wind and snow outside, however later on the woodpeckers would drill their own holes to peek inside.

The upstairs was one large room with wooden bunks and with a straw mattress to sleep on. Father set up my Mother's cook stove he had brought along from our place at MacRorie. This large range had a warming oven on top, six plates for cooking, and a large water tank on the right side for hot water. The large oven door was strong enough for us to sit on where we could warm our bottoms when we were cold.

Our chairs were cut out of blocks of logs that looked like tree stumps with backs, very heavy but they worked just fine. To keep warm we also had an airtight heater in the middle of the room, with the stovepipe going up through the roof. Mother brought along a round heavy oak table, dishes, cooking utensils and her Singer sewing machine. Cloth sheets and blankets were hung around the upstairs bunks to give a little privacy.

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Our homestead was frontier land, almost off the edge of civilization. We were up so far up north, there were no roads, stores, railroads or any type of existence to the north of us except a possible lonely trapper or Indians between us and the North Pole.

Growing up, I would sit up on the roof of the barn and wonder what it would be like to live in a place where I could look to the north and see civilization.

The John Peters family who had followed us up from Macrorie and had rented the farm at Waterview, filed and settled on the homestead east of our place. The Frank Schultz family also arrived from the prairie and settled to the north of the Peters home. The Schultz and Montgomery families used oxen for their work and transportation.

After a lot of squabbling among the settlers as to where to build a school, Cornie Peters the eldest son of the Peters family rounded up some of the able bodies in the area and with the permission of Mr. Laird started falling trees on the southwest corner of the Laird property and built a school. The school location was about two miles northwest of our place.

The school was a one room log building with a wooden door in front and some windows on the front and left side. The spaces between the logs were plastered with a mixture of straw and fresh cow manure. Believe it or not, most log cabins were plastered by this method as it was an excellent way to keep the cracks filled tightly for years and retain the warmth inside the building.

Desks for about twenty children were built out of lumber supplied by the local saw mill. The entire library consisted of a cabinet two feet in width and six feet high.

The building was heated by a large 45-gallon oil drum converted into a wood heater.

The school building was completed in the fall-and winter of 1933 just in time to have a grand get together for Christmas.

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A School District was requested from the Government so a teacher could be hired. The District was approved and Botany School was ready. The first teacher was a tall young girl. Gladys Hilton was her name and she lived with her family on a nearby farm. The teacher's wages at that time was $5.00 per month payable in the spring. I was eight years old when school opened in the fall of 1934 and I was able to start my education.

Warren and I walked the two miles carrying our lunch pails. When winter came, we then drove our dog team, which consisted of a light sleigh and three or four dogs pulling us on our way. About half of the school children drove dog teams, other kids drove horses. A log barn was built for the dogs and horses to be held during school hours.

Our dogs seemed always very happy to pull us wherever we wanted to go.

To determine the number of dogs, a rule of thumb was as follows, one dog to pull a light sleigh, one dog for every 90 to 100 pounds of Cliff Wall - Going to school was an additional weight to be pulled.

The School Board hired my brother Warren and me to light the wood stove during the winter months. This meant arriving a couple of hours early in order to get the room warm by the time school Started at 9 AM. I remember gathering birch bark and splitting kindling and hauling in great armloads of wood. For this we were supposed to be paid 5 cents a day, however I don't recall ever receiving any money. I think Warren got a pair of boots for his work. Lunch pails were set near the stove to thaw out as they were often frozen by the time they reached school.

I was fascinated by a little red haired girl with freckles who lived about half way between our place and the school. Her name was Audrey Willey and we were in the same grade. We would meet at her driveway and I would carry her books to and from school for her. In winter I would pick her up and give her a ride on my dog sled. We were very good friends for many years.

The next teacher, Mary Hilton was Gladys's sister. She also was very tall and skinny. She had a very short fuse and was quick to reach for the strap. Little wonder as the boys were always playing pranks on her and doing everything one can think of to torment and tease her.

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One day all of us hid in the hills at lunchtime and refused to return when she rang the school bell. After much searching we all got rounded up and one by one, boys and girls, all got the strap. Mary Hilton only stayed on for two years and then she was fired and replace by a tyrant man who was extremely strict and cruel.

I will never forget the day he decided to demonstrate to the class his brand of discipline using me as example. During a reading assignment I had been unaware that I was squeaking my desk. Apparently this got on his nerves, and he called me up to the front of the class. He beat me with a leather strap about ten or twelve times on each hand. After lunch he called me to the front of the class and again flogged both of my hands. Then at 3:30, just before school was dismissed, he beat roe for the third time. Then he warned the entire class and me that he would flog anyone who told their parents about what happened.

My hands and wrists were swollen and bleeding so bad that the other boys had to harness up my dog team and put me in the sleigh and give the command to the dogs to take me home. When my Dad came home and saw what had happened, I told him of the teachers warning. He stormed off to confront the teacher. I do not know the details of his visit, however the teacher left the community the next day. Gladys was then rehired and she stayed long past the time when I finished my ninth grade.

At school we started planning the Christmas program in November. This was the high point of the year as it gave us a break from the lessons as we practiced and rehearsed our parts. There were plays, recitations, marching drills/ Christmas carols and everyone down to the youngest pupil was required to participate.

Costumes were made at school or by mothers at home and elaborate decorations put together. A stage was built and curtains made out of sheets were hung across the entire front of the stage. Two boys were usually chosen by the teacher to pull the curtains and were considered very lucky since they would not have big parts to memorize.

The schoolhouse would be packed the night of the program. Not only parents but also many others would come - all by horse and sleigh. It was a good chance to get together with neighbors and friends and praise the children and teacher for their performances.

We always had a tall Christmas tree and of course there was Santa Claus. At the end of the program, a lot of noise would begin, bells ringing, horns blowing and everyone calling for Santa. By the time all the children's eyes were wide with great expectations, Santa would bounce in through the back door carrying a large red bag of presents and would bring along a helper who would also have the remaining packages in a bag over his shoulder.

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All the children got a present and candy and apples and Japanese oranges whether of school age or not. For many children, this would be the only Christmas gift they would have. It was a very important event for the community.

One year there wasn't any money for the Christmas gifts. Mother wrote to the two catalog stores, Eaton's and Simpsons, and asked if they would be able to help and they both agreed. Mother sent them the names and ages of each child in the district. Soon several large boxes arrived with toys for all, free of charge and Santa was able to appear on schedule.

Times were very hard during the thirties, the Depression years but living on a farm we always had lots of good food to eat. We raised all kinds of animals except pigs, which were considered unclean according to my parent's religion. We also had chickens so eggs were plentiful and turkeys.

Mother always had a very large garden. In the fall we harvested potatoes, carrots, turnips and other vegetables to be stored in the cellar.

In the Summer my mother canned hundreds of jars of fruit and jams and jellies. For our large family, all of the canning was done in jars of one or two quarts sizes. Some meat and chicken was also canned. There were dill pickles and sauerkraut in big crocks.

Summer was berry time, we grew strawberries and raspberries but the area abounded in saskatoons and blueberries and high bush cranberries as well as chokecherries. Also lots of wild raspberries and gooseberries if you wanted them. The whole family was often involved in berry picking making it into a fun outing and then the tedious job of picking over after you got home.

Cows and goats supplied milk, cream and butter as well as cottage cheese. Grain was ground for cereal and flour and roasted to make a coffee substitute we called Postum. The river provided fish and there were plenty of elk and deer in that area.

There was little we really needed to buy but my Dad worked for the Government doing road construction for $1.00 a day for a team of horses and 75 cents for himself. This was paid in the form of a voucher to be used at the store.

In the Fall of 1935 my Dad bought a radio - a Stewart-Warner. It operated on a two volt wet A battery that had to be recharged every so often in town and two dry B batteries that lasted about a year. We set up a high copper antenna for reception. We were the first in the community to have a radio so we had a lot of company with the neighbors coming over to marvel at this novelty.

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Dad liked the news coverage and he never missed Gang Busters, Jack Benny, Amos and Andy, The Original Amateur Hour and many other programs. I would hurry home from school to hear Jack Armstrong and Little Orphan Annie.

Mother's best program was The Voice of Prophecy coming from Glendale California. At one time Elder H. M. S. Richards who was the pastor of this program, offered a free Bible to the ones that were listening the farthest away. Mother wrote to him and he sent her one. Then my sister Edna wrote and told him that she lived one mile further north from mother/ so they sent her a free Bible also. The radio was a wonderful link to the outside world. Now we would know what was g6ing on in other parts of the globe.

The mail came to the post office in town once a week. In the summer at different times I would ride my bicycle the fourteen mile round trip to get the mail and a few supplies ®¦ We did not have a car, the only means of transportation was by horse and buggy, except in our winter, then travel was by sleigh, and of course I always had my dog team.

During a very cold period in the winter of 1936 it was necessary to go to Nipawin for supplies. Early one morning dad hitched up a team of horses to an open sleigh and started the long forty eight mile round trip to town with mother and myself.

Our very good friends the White family lived on the outskirts of Nipawin so Mother and I stayed with them while Father took care of the business. In town there was a large livery stable for the horses. The stable charge was twenty five cents for the day and fifty cents for an overnight stay. Feed for the horses was about another twenty five or thirty cents for a feed of Oats and Hay. There were wooden bunks filled with straw for the drivers to sleep in. There was no charge for the bunks.

While we were at the Whites Place I had a good time playing with a small toy car that belonged to one of the White kids.

It was a very cold ride home. The late afternoon was clear and crisp with the snow crackling as we drove along. We arrived home about 8.00 P M. Mother hurried into the house, lighting the coal oil lamps and built a roaring fire in the stove. She prepared some hot soup while my dad took care of the horses and fed the other animals and milked the cows.

When he came in he saw me playing on the floor with the little

toy car. He asked me WHERE DID YOU GET THAT CAR? DID SOMEONE GIVE IT TO YOU? I couldn't answer right away, finally I said that I must have put it in my pocket while playing with the other boys.

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Dad sat me down and comely said WE WILL HAVE TO TAKE IT BACK I thought OKAY next time we go. Shortly before midnight father went to the barn, harnessed up the horses, hooked them up to the sleigh and came in and said get bundled up and come with me. I was horrified, we are taking the toy back NOW!

We started off on the long trip back, the horses were tired so he drove slow and steady. It was a very cold night I almost froze and was stiff with fright thinking about what I had done and how was I going to face my parents friends and family when we got there. I kept looking up at the stars and wondering What will I do, isn't there any other way. Father kept driving and that night was the longest in my life.

We arrived at Whites Place at daybreak. Father took me down off the sleigh. I had to go to the front door, knock and confess that I had taken the toy, apologize, and then return it. I will never forget that lesson! I would have welcomed the strap on my bare behind rather than go through that ordeal 1

Over the years I have always thought about how much courage it must have taken and the hardship it was for my dad to teach me a simple lesson Don't ever take anything that doesn't belong to you! It would have been much easier for him to scold me and take it back himself on the next trip.

In the summer of 1938, Warren always wanted to get a car. So one

time when our parents were away for a few days. Warren traded off our parents Bennett Buggy for an old Model T Ford. Our Bennett Buggy was a four wheel buggy made out of an old car. It had spring suspension, spring car seats, hard rubber tires and was my dad's pride as he had just painted it up nice and neat.

When dad got home and found out that Warren had traded off his buggy, I thought he was going to choke Warren on the spot. I had never seen him that mad before. He couldn't speak in a normal voice. Mother came running and yelling for him to stop! She had to restrain him before he did something he would regret.

The tires on the Model T Ford would not hold air for long as the inner tubes had so many patches on them that didn't want to stick so we packed the tires with straw to hold them up. It was a lumpy ride but it worked.

A couple of days later Warren took me along to deliver a barrel of water to one of the neighbors. In route something came loose with the steering gear and we crashed into a big tree stump. The barrel of water flew forward on top of us. We were all wet and shaken but not injured.

The front of the car was smashed and wouldn't run. We walked home got the team of horses and pulled the car back to our yard. Warren worked for weeks and got it repaired so it would run again. He then sold it for ten dollars, bought a bicycle and a pair of new boots.

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Sometimes in the summer I would hitch a ride with a neighbor, Mr. Len Chittick who lived north of our place. He drove an old Overland model car. It had no top or sides, top speed was about thirty five miles per hour. Many times we would have to stop and fill one of the tires with grass or straw to keep from driving on the steel rims. The only problem with this arrangement was the Mr. Chittick would always get drunk before the drive home and it was difficult for him to keep that thing on the road.

Cornie Peters who had a saw mill drove a Dodge pickup with high sides on the truck bed. He usually transported his workers on Saturday night to Nipawin for an evening out and to get supplies for the week.

The road from his place came through our yard and I would watch for his truck headlights coming and he was good enough to pick me up whenever I wanted to go along. It was very exciting to get to go along on the forty eight mile trip. Cornie was always very good to me. His brother Dave and I were the best of friends.

On one of these Saturday night trips I took along two pounds of butter to sell to friends of ours in town, I gave them a special deal, two pounds for twenty five cents. I had been brought up believing that it was a sin to attend a movie theater. While walking around town I decided to go see a movie and see what this sinful theater was all about.

The admission was five cents for children and ten cents for adults. I paid my five cents and went in the lobby. I bought a big bag of popcorn for another five cents and went in and sat down, my eyes were wide with wonderment.

Suddenly the theater went dark. Then the Cartoons came on. I had never seen anything like this before! It WAS FUN. Next the Movietone News reels started rolling. To this day I remember that the show was a musical called Harvest Moon. After the show was over I came to the conclusion that the only sin of the movie theater was in not being able to go. I left the theater, walked around town, blew my remaining fifteen cents and waited for the long ride home.

Mr. and Mrs. John Peters lived very close, about one quarter of a mile from our place. She was a very good cook and always had some goodies for me. Mr. and Mrs. Peters would come to visit us a lot. Mrs. Peters and mother would spend hours visiting and always talking in a mixed dialect of Dutch and German called Low German. Our dad would be listening to the radio or reading.

Mr. Peters and I spent hours and hours playing games. Checkers, Cards and Chess were not permitted by my parents religion but Chinese Checkers were OK along with some other games that had not as yet been banned. Mr. Peters and I played Chinese Checkers hundreds of times while keeping one ear on the radio.

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As there was no electricity, all lighting was by Coal Oil Lamps and lanterns. We finally went modern. Our parents bought a two mantle gas lamp for inside our home and a gas lantern for use outside. How bright it was when these lamps were lit, we were now living in splendor! These lamps burned white high test gasoline, and you had to be very careful that they didn't explode and blow you away.

Mother's youngest brother Toby and wife Margaret, came from Pennsylvania to see us one summer after Bernice left for college. We all had a very good time with them. When they were leaving and saying good bye. Uncle Toby shook my hand and I felt something in my palm which I held tightly. What a surprise! I peeked, and there was a twenty five cent piece in my hand. .It was a lot of money for me. After they left I danced up and down with glee.

I have never forgot that gesture and have used it many times over the years. To tip a waiter for a good table at a fine restaurant or a better seat at a performance, a generous amount transferred unseen between hands will do the trick.

During the first years we were on the homestead, Adventist meetings were held each Saturday mornings at one of the families homes. A church was sorely needed. In the early fail of 1937 the Brethren of the church group organized a building committee.

The Burbury family donated and deeded two acres of land on the north west corner of their property for a church site. Cornie Peters supplied most of the needed lumber for the building. Other items such as concrete blocks and shingles were donated from building supply business in the area. A lot of the neighbors pitched in and helped with the construction under the supervision of Jens Jensen a professional carpenter.

Money was needed for windows and many other items that had to be purchased. Mother went to the closest towns to collect funds for the church by herself. She was unable to collect very much so she decided to go out of the area.

This time she packed a bag of clothes and took me along to help. We went on the train, stopping at each town that looked like there might be a chance to help us. She gave me an introduction card to show people what the money was for and would hope that they could spare a little. We would be pleased if we were able to collect four or five dollars a day, and would try to stay with someone over night.

At a town between Saskatoon and North Battleford, a preacher from the Main Conference Office in Saskatoon caught up to us and forbade mother from further collecting. He said we would upset his campaign of collecting funds for the Fall Harvest Ingathering to be sent to the foreign missions.

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Mother became very upset, she cried why don't you help our poor local church people who have nothing she cried bitterly, PLEASE DON'T DO THIS. He wanted to take the funds away we had collected but mother kept the money tied in her underwear and wouldn't give it to him. He ran us off .and made us go straight home,,

We rode an old bus and were dropped off around 11.00 P M about ten miles from home. There was nowhere to stay and my mother was very discouraged. It was a cold night, a bright moon shining and the snow on the road was hard so we walked all the way home, with my mother holding my hand..

I believe we collected about a hundred dollars, and that amount would have to do. The church was finally able to be used. Plank benches we set up but later on proper seats with backs were built.

Elder D. D. Neufeld would stay at our house while holding a series of revival meetings in the church.

He would be behind the pulpit preaching with a very loud voice THE END OF THE WORLD IS HERE. He would show pictures of all kinds of evil looking figures and animals that I thought would come and get me if I did something wrong and did not conform.

After some of these long sermons while going home, I would lay down in the back of the sleigh, look up to the stars and wish that the world would not come to an end until I could get married.

The Preachers would always stay at our home while conducting their services. I was always upset that they would have the best bed, gobble up the finest food and have the only roll of toilet paper that was saved for their use only.

I did not like having to sit through the long sermons, neither did Mr. Peters (Cornie Peters father) . So one day I went to town and bought a battery operated bell, two dry cell batteries, some wire and a push button switch. Well/ when no one was around, Mr. Peters and I went to the church and hooked up our control system for the preacher. We put the bell and batteries under the pulpit, ran the wire under the church to a spot where Mr. Peters always sat, hooked up the switch and pressed the button, BANG WE WERE READY!

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At the next service, the preacher went on and on as usual. Mr. Peters looked at me, I nodded and he pushed the switch. The bell rang louder than we expected. The preacher nearly jumped out of his skin, he got down from the pulpit and asked WHAT'S THAT? Mr. Peters stood up and replied, "TIME TO STOP". The bell control system worked fine from then on. Mr. Peters became the official time keeper. He would give a five minute ring so the preacher would be able to close and wind-up his sermon.

That same summer the preacher was holding a two week revival service to get more people to join the church. He must have been on a quota basis for converts. After the revival meetings were over, all the new believers were to be baptized in the river. He didn't have enough signed up so he inquired about Dave Peters and myself. When he found out that neither of us had been baptized we were put on the list.

So the next Sunday the congregation went to the White Fox river with the preacher, Dave and I in tow. We did not want to be baptized but both mothers insisted after listening to the advice of the preacher. After we were DUNKED in the river we changed our clothes behind some bushes and we both swore for the first time that I remember. ..

The years went by and long after we moved away, the church was sold to a Lutheran Group in the city of Prince Albert. The church was hauled intact the hundred and twenty miles, however when they got near their destination, the church was too high to go under a railroad bridge. The Lutherans then parked the church on an empty lot until they found other property to set it on.

World War 11 had started with England declaring war against Germany on September 1, 1939. Three days later Canada also declared war. Warren came home about ten days after the Canadians joined in and announced he had signed up with the Canadian Army and was leaving in three days for Boot Camp.

Dave Peters and I thought the Germans would be coming so we started digging a trench where we could defend ourselves and fire our rifles. At our house, our firepower consisted of a 22 single shot rifle, I used for hunting squirrels, rabbits and grouse, a 30-30 pump action rifle used for Deer hunting, a 303 British bolt action rifle for hunting Elk or Moose and an old German made Mouser that would knock you off your feet when fired. I went to town and bought a large supply of ammunition for all our guns, I was ready for the Germans to come!

While overseas. Warren had an operation for ulcers and had part of his stomach removed so in June of 1941 he was shipped home and received an honorable discharge from the Army.

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Warren met Mary Thompson who lived north of the Torch River and they were soon married. After a short time they moved to Duncan British Columbia where he found a very good job working for The British American Oil Company, driving a large oil tanker.

Now everyone had left home and I was still going to school and the only one left to help my parents on the farm. I did not like farming and longed for the day that I could chuck all of this and do something else.

'i Mother always wanted a separate kitchen so she and I built a good

size room on our house. She wrote to her cousins, the Dirksens at Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan and two cousins came and built the cupboards for the kitchen. Then I built an entrance shed on the kitchen to store wood and other things.

Now that mother and I were in the building mood, we built a nice room out of lumber on the south side of the house which my parents used as a downstairs bedroom. I finally had the entire upstairs for myself.

During the war even though a lot of things were rationed, times were picking up. We could now make some money and things were getting better. When I was fourteen and fifteen years old I would work part time at Lambs Saw Mill. I received fifty cents per hour for stacking lumber and I felt rich.

I bought a new balloon tire bicycle for $8.00 with front and rear carriers, and bicycle stand. I put batteries in the front basket and hooked up a head light and a rear tail light. Now I was cruising, it was big time for me. Now that I had wheels, I became very good friends with Carl and Bud Brisbane. We rode all over the place together, sometimes getting into mischief but nothing serious.

On Halloween nights Carl and I would make the rounds doing what ever we could think of to do tricks on the neighbors. One night we went to the school house to tip over the outhouses. It was a very dark night, I ran down the hill to be the first one to push the girls outhouse over, however I did not see the fact that someone had slid the outhouse back off the hole and into the hole I went head first. What a mess I was in, Carl had to pull me out. We went to a nearby well to get me partly cleaned off,. After that episode we discontinued tipping over the remaining outhouses on our list.

Years later, Carl became the Postmaster in Nipawin, his brother Bud joined The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Department and rose up through the ranks to become The Deputy Commissioner for Canada. The younger brother Gary was killed in a motorcycle accident.

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Having completed my ninth grade at Botany school in the spring of 1943, my parents decided to sent me to the Adventist school, Canadian Union College, at Lacombe Alberta to further my education. Mother's sister Mary Severson her husband had moved there, so Mother wrote to her and asked that she keep a strict eye on me. My cousin Vivian Severson would also be attending that year.

Dad sold some cows for my fare and for part of the tuition. I was not very happy about going but did not have a choice. They bought me a some clothes and with a few dollars in my pocket I left by train. I arrived at Lacombe a couple of days later. It was a very strange feeling to be so far away from the comforts of home. I was assigned a room in the boys dormitory on the third floor of the north side, where the sun never did shine.

My roommate was a rude little Japanese fellow, and he was very hard to get along with. The house rules were very strict. As my parents couldn't afford the entire tuition, I was assigned work detail down in the furnace room shoveling coal. My work credit was nineteen cents per hour, this seemed to me like slave labor.

I had no time to be active in any of the things the other kids were always doing. When I did not have a class I was in the coal chute. I had to work, no time to play. Most of the students were children of preachers, doctors or other professional and well to do families. After a long time in the coal chute I advised the school I would not continue the work down there any longer.

They transferred me to the electric department which was a big improvement and I had a raise of three cents per hour. I never received any money as all work credit was applied to my remaining tuition. Mother would on occasion sent me $1.00 in the mail.

I was fortunate to get into a typing class. Our Underwood typewriter keys were all blank, no letters or numbers on them. On the front wall of the classroom there was a large poster of a keyboard that we could study. After about ten minutes the poster was covered and then we would start our lessons hoping to remember where our fingers were supposed to go.

I liked the class very much and soon became a pretty good typist. Preacher Asselford's son was also in this class but he did not have time to do his typing assignments as he was much more interested in the female students. He paid me five cents a page to do his work and would always tell me how many mistakes he should have in his lessons. This gave me a little spending money.

How I longed to go skating or be with the other students after class. I became so discouraged that I wrote to my parents and told them I was going to leave and hitch hike to Vancouver Island. Mother wrote back and said that I had to stay but that they would allow me to come home at spring break. I hung on till spring break and then I went home. Mother was very upset with me and after a short stay I took the train and went back again.

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When I got back to the college I requested and got a job as one of the gardeners, trimming hedges and cutting the many lawns. I liked this work as I could cut grass by the girls dorm in the evenings when the rest of the boys were confined to their rooms.

The Holy Day was from sundown Friday night to sundown Saturday night as it is with all Seventh Day Adventist, and I was used to this. In the spring when it was a nice day on a Saturday afternoon, we would be allowed to go for a walk in the hills.

The girls were to go in one direction to pick flowers and the boys must go the other direction. Well after out of sight from the campus most kids ran wild. I was shocked to find several preachers sons with the so called good girls in the tall grass making out. I happened to have my Kodak box camera with me that afternoon. David Asselford saw me and told me to go away and take pictures somewhere else. I was shocked at what I had just seen, but before leaving I snapped a couple of pictures of him and the girl, then hurriedly left the scene.

During the later part of the final semester I got to know a girl by the name of Ruby Bais. Her home was near the town of Macrorie. We were very good friends. When it was time to leave for home, she was waiting at the train station and would be traveling with me.

The train left Lacombe and went to Edmonton where we had to wait until 6.00 P.M. the next afternoon. The war was going strong in 1944 and there was no where to stay overnight, the hotels were filled with servicemen. After walking all over the city I found a home that would let Ruby stay with them for the night. I finally went and slept on a bench at the -train station.

The next day I bought some sandwiches. Ruby and I went down to a park by the river and spent the rest of the day discussing all the previous school events until train time. We took the train together all the way to Saskatoon.

When I got home I was shocked to see my mother, as she had cancer and was not very good. Mother had written to Bernice and Harold who were now living in Los Angeles and asked their advice. They said that she should come to Los Angeles to have an operation. Harold was a Doctor now and the fees would be minimal or nothing at all. My dad got busy and sold what he could for the fare and she went on the train by herself.

Ruby apparently felt that she was in love with me. She wrote many love letters, however I wasn't in any mood to respond. Time went by and then a letter came from Bernice stating that the operation was over but they could not do anything for her as the cancer had spread throughout her lower body and that we should come and take her home.

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After harvest was over dad and I went on the train to Vancouver. On the way to Los Angeles we stopped in San Francisco to see dad's sister. Aunt Elizabeth Wall. She lived in an lovely little apartment on Octavia street. She was very happy to see us.

I had never met any of our many California relatives. The next two days I rode the street cars all over the city. The Cliff House and Boardwalk by the ocean beach was unbelievable. I had such a good time, it was like a dream, so far away from the rugged life of the homestead.

Aunt Elizabeth then took us on the bus to Napa and to the hills where my dad's brothers lived with their families. We slept at Uncle Frank Wall's house while we were there. Uncle Pete Wall and cousin Cornelius Wall lived a little further up the road.

We sampled cousin Cornelius' famous Moonshine and toasted the reunion. I remember that father tasted quite a bit of the

Moonshine and he had many more toasts with his relatives.

After three days in the Napa area we went to Oakland and boarded the train for Los Angeles. We arrived at the cozy little place where Bernice an Harold lived and there was Mother. She did not look as bad as we had expected.

When Mother and I were alone, I told her how sorry I was that the cancer had spread so far and that the Doctors were unable to remove the cancer. I will never forget the horrified look on her face. She thought she was rid of the cancer. Mother couldn't speak, she just stared off into space. I got sick to my stomach, what have I done, she didn't know, and I was the one to tell her.

After a few days with Bernice and Harold we took the train back to Vancouver and then went to Port Alberni to spend the rest of the winter with Naomi and Herb. It was too cold to take mother back to Saskatchewan. As spring approached we went on the train back to our home. Mother was failing and needed more care.

Now that we were all back home again I began thinking a lot about Ruby my former school friend. I wrote a long letter explaining all of the things that had happened since I saw her last. I soon received a letter from her mother stating that Ruby wasn't living at home and that she had forwarded the letter to her.

Finally the mail brought a very long response from my friend. She said that she had fallen in love with me at school and would always remember the good times we had together. Since I had never answered she felt that all was lost. She had wanted to leave her parents place and have a home and family of her own. She also said that she had just married someone else a month before receiving my letter and was living in a small place near Yorkton Saskatchewan.

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Mother had tried her best to live by all of

the teachings as she understood them.

by the Church. The only real argument I remember our parents having was over paying tithe to be sent to the Central Conference.

Dad felt very strongly that the money was not being spent fairly. He pointed out that the preachers always drove new cars and they were paid wages that were too high.

Dad would rather give to the poor in our area direct, which he always did.

Through the years I have had a lot of resentment over my up bringing but there is one thing that I know for sure. Both my parents raised us children to the best of their knowledge and with love and affection, never complained about the many sacrifices they endured for us.

My dad and I were now alone and we did not want to have anything to do with housework so Alice stayed on. In the fall of 1945 we had a good crop of grain to harvest, so we hired another girl, Annie Funk, to help Alice prepare meals for the harvesting crew.

During that winter father spent some time in Regina visiting some of his friends.

In the spring of 1946 we bought a new red Willys Jeep. The owner of the dealership showed me how everything worked/ filled the tank with gas, turned the Jeep in the direction of home and said get in and drive. As I had never driven a car before, my dad and I had an interesting ride, we made it home OK. I practiced around the farm driving the Jeep until I could handle it.

We rigged up our farm machinery from horse drawn to tractor use. I was now a farmer with mechanized power. We used the Jeep as a tractor from then on and the horses were put out to pasture. My dad never did learn to drive the Jeep. He said it's yours, I felt like I was the King of the Road now and away I would go.

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During the summer of 1946, preacher Asselford arrived to hold a 'few revival services at the church and of course he stayed at our home. The following Saturday afternoon I had nothing to do so I took the camera and went out to the yard and took a few pictures of the large turkey gobbler we had. Well the preacher came running out of the house, belching and burping from all the food he had just eaten and bellowed - You must not take any pictures, This is the Sabbath Day.

I was shocked over his sudden attack on me. In a little while my temper grew, I went into the house and overheard him telling my dad what a sin I had committed outside, no pictures are to be taken on the Sabbath Day. I should be inside reading the Bible.

The preacher said that his son David attended the same Christian

College that I had and that David was training for the ministry. David was a true Christian.

Well this was too much for me, I went to a drawer and picked out a couple of the pictures I had taken of his son in the tall grass at College on the Sabbath Day. I approached Elder Asselford and replied, I know David very well, I typed his lessons for him so he could pass his typing class and I took these pictures of him and his girl having sex on the Sabbath Day a mile from the campus.

Elder Asselford took the pictures, went to a window to see better and stared at them for a long while. He asked who is the girl? I replied, Professor Johnson's personal secretary. He put the pictures down on the table. Then he suddenly remembered that he should be going. He left and never returned to pester us again. Dad said That brought him down a notch, didn't it Cliff, I agreed.

The fall of 1946 was also a very good year with an excellent harvest coming up. My Aunt, Anna Wall, who lived at Napa California kept writing to our dad and insisting that he should get her sister Helen Penner to come to see us and possibly they could get married. She was living at Pendleton Oregon and was a widow. My dad knew her when they were kids in South Dakota.

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Helen soon arrived and after a short stay they went to town and were married by the Justice of the Peace. As no one was invited to the wedding, I arranged with the neighbors to Shiverie the newlyweds. My dad and Helen came straight home from their wedding ceremony in. town. In the evening I said that I was going to go upstairs to bed. The newly weds be in the downstairs bedroom. They seemed to want to go to bed also.

Well I went upstairs and then crept softly to the outside window, and crawled down the ladder I had put against the house. I tip toed to the road and saw that the neighbors were waiting and ready to come over. I went back quietly and got the old Mouser rifle, injected a shell, and crept under the newlywed's window. I pointed the gun in the air and pulled the trigger. boom! the gun went off and I fell back on the ground.

Dad and Helen flew out of bed, lit a lamp and dad rushed outside in his underwear. The neighbors arrived, surrounded the house, banging on old pails and making a hell of a noise.

Helen was scared out of her wits, but father knew what was happening now. He had on many occasions also engineered various Shiveries on other unsuspecting couples who had not invited anyone to their wedding. Dad invited everyone to come inside while he went to put his pants on and get Helen dressed. Everyone had a lot of laughs and had a good time wishing the newlyweds good health. My dad kept looking at me with one eye. Cliff you rascal, you disturbed my wedding night.

It was very strange having a new so called mother in the house. I kept myself busy cutting and hauling wood from the forest. We bought a four wheel trailer for the Jeep. I hauled many loads of grain and pulp wood to town with the Jeep and trailer. I blew several tires on the trailer for having too heavy a load.

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The dog team and horses were no longer needed. What an improvement in transportation it was. The winter of 46-47 was very cold. Being that Helen came from a warmer climate, she could not stand the cold weather. Father grew concerned and then agreed to send her to Los Angeles to stay the rest of the winter with her daughter. Alice was rehired as housekeeper and came back to work.

The weather was bitter cold. It would take hours trying to warm the Jeep engine, transmission and wheel bearings so we could drive. I soon had enough of that work. I took a cross cut saw and with dad^s help, cut out the end of the bedroom, built two large swinging doors so I could park the Jeep inside the house.

Spring finally arrived and another year of farming. The farm consisted of about a hundred acres of cleared land for crops, about five acres for the house, barn, outbuildings and garden area. The rest of the property was completely fenced for the cows and other animals to roam on.

In June of 1947, Edna wanted to go to the camp meeting in Saskatoon. I made all the arrangements. That was one trip I will never forget. Why an accident didn't happen I will never know.

The Jeep trailer had a full length open box for hauling grain. We packed up for the trip. Alice and her sister June came along. Edna's children rode in the open trailer and I drove as fast as possible over the gravel road. I never thought about having a safety chain or anything to secure the trailer to the Jeep I did not even have a license for the trailer as we had purchased it for farm use only. The trip went OK we all had a good vacation and returned home safe and sound.

My Jeep Trailer that I drove to Campmeeting in Saskatoon loaded with people

Alfalfa was grown for seed only and didn't need any Care until harvest when it was cut and threshed by a harvesting crew with a threshing machine. Dad was sick and tired of farming, he had enough of the long cold winters. He made up his mind to go west to Vancouver Island.

We had a very good crop of alfalfa seed which we sold. We had quite a bit of money in the bank.

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Dad insisted that I stay on the farm. He would sign over the farm to me complete with everything if I would stay and marry Alice.

He only wanted a good part of the money in the bank and he would be on his way. NO WAY! ! ! was I going to stay or marry Alice. I refused his offer on all counts.

When he saw that I was serious about my decision, he said well let's get out of here before it

snows.

We hurriedly sold all the animals and winterized our house. A close neighbor, Mr. Ed Kowalski, heard Alice at Campmeeting say that we were leaving. He wanted to buy our property and made dad an offer if we would sell. We made an agreement with him on the condition that if we were not coming back, dad would sell for $4,000.00, and would let him know in a few months.

Now I had to get rid of Alice. She thought she was part of the family and wanted to go along. I gave her 400 quarts of fruit we had stored in the cellar, several bags of potatoes and the rest of the vegetables on hand. I took her and all the loot to her mother's place in town, dumped everything off, and gave her an extra $5.00.

We packed up, drove over to say good bye to Edna and family and headed out on our way. The weather was getting colder by the day, but no snow had fallen yet. We drove south to Montana to see some of the relatives.

As we drove along the highway, dad kept saying Cliff keep driving west until we do not see any more snow fences. We arrived at Vancouver Island and could not believe how nice it was. We stayed with Warren and Mary for a short time.

Helen again contacted my dad and said that she wanted to move to Vancouver Island and make a home again with him. She wanted us to come and help her pack up her things. So we took the Jeep and headed for Los Angeles. Helen had most of her things, as she called them, packed in large round cardboard barrels. Her piano was also to be shipped.

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We got everything to the shipping company and started for Canada. On the way we stopped at San Francisco and Napa to spend a few days with dad's relatives again. His nephew Pete Wall gave us four large gunny sacks of walnuts from his place to take with us. When we went through Canadian Customs in Victoria/ the officer said we could not bring the walnuts into Canada.

Dad confronted the officer and told him you're not going to eat these walnuts when we are gone. He took the first bag/ went to the edge of the wharf and threw the bag of walnuts into the ocean. The officer came running and said well, if that's the way you feel, take to rest and leave.

My dad bought a small house trailer and moved it on a part of Warren's property, where he and Helen started together again. There wasn't any room for her piano so we hauled it to Naomi's place at Port Alberni for Naomi and her girls to use.

After a month or so Helen decided the weather was too wet for her and wanted to leave again. The barrels were repacked and this time she asked Father to send her to Pendleton, Oregon where her daughter lived.

Dad was alone again. He had made up his mind that he was not going back to Saskatchewan again. I would go by myself with his Power of Attorney, and take care of everything. In a few days I boarded the train in Vancouver and arrived home in the dead of winter. I stayed with Edna and Fred while I disposed of our assets. I finalized the sale to Mr. Kowalski, had the money put in the bank in town and returned to British Columbia.

on my return, dad announced that he had purchased two tickets to Australia leaving Seattle in June on a ocean freighter. We were going to go, as my dad said, to where there are plenty of women with big boobs. In the meantime he got a job with the City of Duncan. . .

Helen soon found out that the farm was sold and that dad had plenty of money again. She persuaded Father to again come and get her, so off we went to Pendleton to pack her up again. We again had to go to the Customs Office in Victoria to clear her things. The Customs Officer said Oh No, here come the barrels again. He didn't even look inside, just stamped the papers and said haul them away.

Dad kept the tickets and did not cancel the reservations to Australia, just in case Helen flew out again.

I was tired of all the foolishness with Helen, and of having nothing to do. There was an old barn on Warren's property that had not been used for many years. I told him that I would like to remodel it into a livable house. He said go ahead and do it. So I proceeded on my first fixer-upper.

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One day while working on my project, I saw an ad in the local paper. Electrician Wanted. As I had changed a few light bulbs at Warren's house and ran some wire to Father's trailer, this ad sounded interesting. I went and applied for the job, Mr. Jimmy Plunett, the owner asked if I had some experience with electricity. And I replied, Of Course, I was hired.

Mr. Plunett said that the Government Power Company was building power lines outside of town and there was a lot of farms and homes that needed to be wired for electricity. I was to keep track of all material and labor because all the jobs were time and material plus profit. This sounded good to me.

The next day I went to the store and Jimmy loaded the Jeep with a lot of wire and other material that I would need. He gave me the names and address of two homes that I was to start on. I said OK and left. Now what do I do! I drove back to Warren's house and examined his house wiring very closely, took a few notes and went to the first place to start work.

I knew that electricity traveled on a wire to somewhere and came back on another, but had to stop at a light fixture or a switch. In two or three days I was finished, the Power Company hooked up their wires to the house and Bingo everything worked. Jimmy never ever came to inspect any of the jobs, all he wanted was the money when completed as he sat in the local bar most of the time.

Helen again became homesick for her relatives. She talked my dad into sending her back to California again. So we packed the barrels again and paid her way and freight to Lodi, California this time. It seemed to me that she was like a Yo-Yo.

Being that I was in town every day, I saw a lot of nice girls. I thought maybe it might be time to find a good girl friend that maybe I would marry. I kept looking the girls over that were around town. I soon narrowed the field down to three. One girl worked at the telegraph office. One worked at the local bakery and the other was an apple farmers daughter.

At that time in my life I was a very shy person, especially around young eligible females. In order to say something to the

girl in the bakery, I would go in and buy some bread or other bakery products which I would give away or take to Warren's house.

Warren knew I was on the prowl and continued to inquire as to who was on the list. I had a very strong feeling that the bakery girl was the one; that I should pursue. She was a very pleasant, slim, good looking girl with cute dimples, just the perfect girl for me.

The owner of the bakery, Mrs. Browning, was a very good friend of Warren and Mary. One day when Mrs. Browning was visiting at Warren's place, she sat me down and told me that Dot was a very good girl and that I should date her.

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The next day I went to the bakery as usual to buy a loaf of bread. I got up enough courage to ask Dot if she would like to go to the show with me that evening. She replied Oh I already have a date this evening, maybe some other time. Oh well, I'm not going to take not now for an answer, I will just keep trying.

A few days later I arrived at the bakery and again asked her for a date. Well I think that Mrs. Browning may have talked to Dot about me, because she agreed to my request.

Dorothy lived with her sister Helen and brother-in-law Pete Peterson a little way out of town.

At the suggested time I arrived at their home and there she was. How pretty she looked, I was in Seventh Heaven.

Dorothy had a steady boy friend who was a boat builder in town. Now how am I going to get rid of this guy. It wasn't easy, the boat builder hung on. We had many dates and sometime later I asked her if she would marry me, she finally consented.

When I made the announcement that I wanted to get married and that I had already proposed to Miss. Dorothy Michelson, my dad was furious.

We are going to Australia, I have the tickets You can not get married now! He ranted and raved for

days. Bernice called many times and insisted that I must go back to school, go through college and take up the medical profession. I was to become a Doctor. Bernice insisted that if I would agree, they would advance the tuition and further expenses if I would do this.

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I was very stubborn in my thoughts of my future. I was not going to be a Doctor or a preacher. I was 21 years old and I'm going to do my own thing. I'm going to settle down and marry Dorothy. I flatly told my dad that I was not going to Australia and that he could very well go by himself. He could see that I wasn't going to budge on my decision, so canceled the reservations and turned the tickets in for a refund.

On August 8, 1948, Dorothy and I were married in the United Church at Duncan, B. C. A very nice reception was held at Pete and Helen's home after which the little red Jeep was loaded and ready to go. Dorothy and I took off on a month's honeymoon trip to Saskatchewan. What a trip that was.

On our return, Dorothy and I lived in the fixer-upper until we bought our own home on Drinkwater road. Father bought a house and property on the Old Island Highway. Helen again moved back with Father for a few years and then left again when he broke his leg. Dad and Dorothy eventually became very good friends and were as thick as thieves until he passed away in 1959.

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Now I'll go into a fast forward mode as other members have written about our life.

Between 1948 and 1959 my basic work was in the construction field in the Duncan area of Vancouver Island. Our family was growing, we had two boys, Larry, Raymond, daughter Beverly and another one on the way. Tragedy struck on May 19, 1957 when brother Warren, his wife Mary

and young son Glenn, crashed our company airplane in the rugged Cascade Mountains of Washington State, changing our peaceful lives forever.

Warren and Mary orphaned 3 little boys, Lloyd, Roy and Reg. Dorothy and I took the boys in with us in our little home. Later that year we purchased a very large home in order to maintain this new extended family.

Lloyd and Roy stayed with us for over a year until they went to Brewster, Washington to live with my sister Bernice, her husband, Dr. Harold Lamberton and their large family.

The turmoil with Mary's relatives was such that we did not want to remain in the same area, so in March of 1960 we moved to San Jose, California. After we were settled, Reg came to live with us again and stayed with our family for several years. Trouble with the youth leader of the church across the street caused us to send Reg to Brewster to join the other siblings.

The airplane crash with partial remains among the wreckage was found 19 1/2 years later, just above interstate 90, not far from Seattle. It was apparent that Warren, while trying to get under the overcast, struck a tree on the last mountain ridge and tore the left wing off the airplane and crashed into the dense forest.

In San Jose I started working in the automobile business and soon turned my attention to the finance and leasing of automobiles, trucks, aircraft and other personal property that qualified for leasing.

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Our home on Vancouver Island

we purchased especially for the

care of the orphans, LLoyd, Reg Roy

who lived with us for a couple of years.

The front gardens, overlooking Quamichan Lake

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Another tragedy that remains with us forever, our 22 year old son, Raymond, after having a severe reaction to a drug, (LSD) he had taken, apparently decided life was not worth the pain and torment he was constantly in and ended it on October 23, 1972. Life has never been the same for our family.

In 1987 I went to work for my good friend, Bruce Bradford who was developing a mobile home park near where we now live. During the next 5 years I obtained a Water Treatment Operator's license from the Department of Health Services of the State of California. I designed and supervised the construction of a very sophisticated water treatment plant for the mobile home park and the surrounding area.

Dorothy and I had moved to Pine Grove in January of 1988 and I retired in 1992. Being retired, I have been so busy, I don't know how I ever had time to go to work on an outside job. During the last 12 years researching the family history has been very interesting to say the least. Now it's time to wrap it up and continue the research on Dorothy's ancestors who C(?me to America in the early 1700's and fought under George Washington's command in the American Revolution of 1775-1783.

Our life on Vancouver Island and the many years spent in the San Jose - Saratoga area was sometimes filled with several other side ventures that came and went.In order to write about many of the experiences we went through, would require writing another lengthly book. Maybe I'll write a Tell All sometime in the near future, which would include many of the scraps already left on the cutting room floor! Now on to the the rest of our children.